Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Co Ocb
Co Ocb
Co Ocb
1
Abstract
Due to the increased frequency of organizational changes, predicting employees’ voluntary
and also upon psychological factors which can moderate the value-behaviour relationship.
We propose that personal values, group identification and a sense of power interact in
predicting change-oriented OCB of employees. One hundred and eighty-four employees rated
their values, their identification with the work unit and their sense of power. In line with our
predictions, the results showed that openness to change values and work unit identification
high sense of power, but not in workers with a low sense of power. This finding suggests that
workers who have a high sense of power and are highly identified with the work unit tend to
pursue their openness to change values in a way that contributes to the organization. The
authors further conclude that an interactive approach, rather than one of direct effect, is
2
Organizations today operate in dynamic and changing environments. As the
environment changes around organizations, current practices may lose their efficiency. In
order to respond to these challenges, organizations often need to change their work methods,
policies and procedures. Employees’ own initiatives and ideas can significantly contribute to
these processes because they often know best the current practices and their weaknesses (e.g.,
behaviours (e.g., Grant & Ashford, 2008). This is partly because behaviour that is congruent
Gagné & Deci, 2005; Oishi, Diener, Suh, & Lucas, 1999), whereas extrinsically motivated
behaviour may disappear as soon as the external reward is obtained (e.g., Hui, Lam, & Law,
2000). Values motivate behaviour (e.g., Bardi & Schwartz, 2003) including change-oriented
behaviour. However, past literature suggests that direct value-behaviour relationships are
likely to be only moderate in magnitude partly because contextual factors restrict behaviour
(Schwartz, 2005). This suggests that an interactional approach may be more fruitful.
The first purpose of the present study is to identify the most relevant values for change-
oriented OCB. The second purpose is to determine whether the relationship between relevant
values and change-oriented OCB is enhanced by two psychological factors: work unit
identification and a sense of power. We suggest that work unit identification is relevant
because it implies that organizational goals are important for employees. We additionally
propose that a sense of power is important because it implies that employees feel that their
3
suggestions will be considered seriously. Moreover, both of these psychological factors can
important because it contributes to identifying the conditions under which the value-
behaviour relationship is facilitated. In practical terms, this study informs organizations about
identify and implement changes with respect to work methods, policies, and procedures to
improve the situation and performance” (Choi, 2007, p. 469). Other concepts that are closely
related to change-oriented OCB include voice (LePine & Van Dyne, 1998), innovative
behaviour (West & Farr, 1990) and taking charge (Morrison & Phelps, 1999). Choi’s (2007)
oriented communication intended to improve the situation” (LePine & Van Dyne, 2001, p.
326), with the definition of taking charge as “voluntary and constructive efforts to affect
organizationally functional change” (Morrison & Phelps, 1999, p. 403). OCB-related studies
usefulness emphasised in traditional innovation and creativity studies (Moon, Van Dyne, &
Wrobel, 2005). Despite these small differences, all of these concepts represent change-
oriented behaviour in the organization. In this study we use change-oriented OCB as it covers
both idea suggestion and implementation, which are both important for enhancing
organizational development.
When employees make suggestions and when ideas are implemented, the aim is to
change the status quo in the work environment. Thus, openness to new ideas in the work
4
changes. For example, Choi (2007) found that an innovative climate and a strong vision
which in turn predicted change-oriented OCB. Also other studies have found that having a
sense of responsibility and role-related perceptions, such as a flexible role orientation, predict
change-oriented behaviours (e.g., De Dreu & Nauta, 2009; Van Dyne, Kamdar, & Joireman,
efficacy, flexible role orientation, psychological empowerment and perceived autonomy (e.g.,
However, employees act not only because they feel obligated to engage with a certain
action. Their actions toward change may also be more personally motivated (see e.g.,
McAllister, Kamdar, Morrison, & Turban, 2007; Moon, Kamdar, Mayer, & Takeuchi, 2008).
Change itself can also be an important personal goal and this goal motivates change-oriented
behaviour. Values are important motivational bases for behaviour, as they convey what
people consider worth striving for (e.g., Bardi & Schwartz, 2003; Rokeach, 1973). Based on
their recent review on proactive organizational behaviours, Grant and Ashford (2008) argue
that values have received insufficient attention and that proactive behaviour, such as being
intentional and goal-oriented, may reflect employees’ core values. Nevertheless, previous
studies on person-related factors have been largely limited to personality traits (e.g., Grant &
Ashford, 2008; Sung & Choi, 2009). Person-related factors have also been treated merely as
moderators rather than as independent predictors (e.g., Bettencourt, 2004; De Dreu & Nauta,
2009; Fuller, Marler, & Hester, 2006; Zhou, Shin, Brass, Choi, & Zhang, 2009).
In this study we draw on Schwartz’s (1992) theory of the universal content and
structure of values and suggest that openness to change values in this model are the most
relevant with respect to change-oriented OCB. Change-oriented OCB usually takes place in
5
the context of a work group and creates challenge to the status quo in the group. The
relationship between group member’s values and behaviour may also depend on the
psychological importance of that particular group and member’s position in the group.
Therefore, in this study we focus on the moderating role of work unit identification and sense
of power on the relationship between values and change-oriented OCB. In doing so, we can
contribute not only to research on value-behaviour relationship but also on the growing
Schwartz’s (1992) theory of the universal content and structure of values is one of the
most widely applied contemporary value frameworks. It offers a solid and comprehensive
theoretical basis for deriving hypotheses based on individuals’ value system. Schwartz
defines values as broad goals that serve as guiding principles in people’s lives. As a guiding
principle, an important value is likely to guide behaviour across time and in different
contexts, such as at work and at home. Thus, basic values can predict behaviour across
contexts. People differ in their value hierarchies, so that any value can be important to one
person and not important to another. The theory defines ten distinct value types that are based
on different motivational goals. Over 65,000 people from 65 nations around the world have
completed the value questionnaire, and the multidimensional structure and the distinctiveness
of the ten value types have gained consistent support (see Schwartz, 2005).
The overall structure of relations among values forms a circle, which is presented in
Figure 1. Compatible, neighbouring values in the circle share a motivation and can be easily
pursued with the same behaviour. For example, values of self-direction and stimulation are
compatible because they share the motivation for novelty and change. When one pursues self-
direction values by expressing a new idea, she or he may also be fulfilling stimulation values
6
of excitement. In contrast, openness to change values have a motivationally conflicting
change values and conservation values at the same time. To illustrate, when a worker pursues
openness to change values by expressing to the supervisor an idea for improvement, he or she
may risk the safety and harmony of their relationship, as it is not clear if the supervisor would
react positively. Thus, this act entails a necessary violation of conservation values. Overall,
the value circle is ordered by two bi-polar dimensions. The dimension relevant to this paper is
openness to change versus conservation. It contrasts the motivation to be open to new ideas
and actions (expressed in the value types of self-direction and stimulation), with a preference
for the status quo and certainty in relationships with close others, institutions and traditions
----------------------------------------------------
Insert Figure 1
----------------------------------------------------
previous studies (e.g., Nikolaou, Vakola, & Bourantas, 2008; Sung & Choi, 2009), it is
important keep in mind here that, even though values and personality traits share similarities
(e.g., relative stability) and are often linked, they are conceptually and empirically distinct
(Roccas, Sagiv, Schwartz, & Knafo, 2002). Specifically, traits describe what people are like,
whereas values refer to what people consider important (e.g., values are goals whereas traits
are dispositions). For example, even if a person is innovative (trait) he or she may not view
innovativeness as a worthy life goal (value). On the other hand, a person who values
innovativeness may not be an innovative person. Previous studies (e.g., Roccas et al., 2002)
found that openness to change values are correlated with openness to experience, and these
findings also support the idea that values, in comparison with personality traits, have a
7
stronger influence on behaviours which are under relatively more voluntary control, such as
OCB. Thus, values offer a different kind of motivational base for change-oriented behaviour
than personality. For these reasons, in this study we utilize a theory of individual values.
To summarize, people are motivated to behave according to their values (Bardi &
Schwartz, 2003). Indeed, values have been found to be empirically related to a large array of
behaviours (see review and empirical findings in Bardi & Schwartz, 2003), including
organizational behaviours (see review and empirical findings in Bardi & Schwartz, 2003 and
Bardi, Calogero, & Mullen, 2008). Change-oriented OCB aims at making changes at work
(Choi, 2007). Hence, employees who value openness to change are likely to be motivated to
perform any change-oriented behaviour, including at work. In contrast, people who value
conservation are motivated to maintain the status quo, so they are the least likely to perform
Although values guide behaviour across time and in various contexts, the same value
can be expressed by different behaviours (Bardi & Schwartz, 2003). Employees who value
openness to change may pursue these values by expressing and implementing new ideas for
advancement of the work group. Alternatively, they may pursue these values by changing a
work place, leading to negative consequences to the work group, or by pursuing their
positive way within the organization. We propose that employees will pursue their openness
to change values by performing change-oriented OCB, particularly when they perceive group
goals as their own. According to social identity approach (e.g., Tajfel & Turner, 1979), this
8
The social identity approach offers a perspective for understanding why individuals
behave according to group goals rather than their individual goals. This approach includes the
theories of social identity (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) and self-categorization (Turner, Hogg,
Oakes, Reicher, & Wetherell, 1987). According to this approach, people define themselves to
a large extent in terms of their social-group memberships. This group-based definition of the
self forms an individual’s social identity (Tajfel & Turner, 1979). The importance of social
identity is reflected in the degree of identification with the group in question. Specifically,
define him- or herself as a member of a particular social group” (Haslam, 2001, p. 383).
Identification creates a sense of oneness with the object of identification and consequently the
aims and goals of the object are seen as one’s own (Mael & Ashforth, 1992; Van
Knippenberg, 2000). Research has shown that organizations, or a smaller part of them (e.g.,
work group), constitute an important source of an individual’s identity (Hogg & Terry, 2000;
The premises of social identity theory suggest that when the work group or the
their behaviour should be motivated by the group’s needs, norms, and goals instead of
personal ones (Haslam, 2001). In terms of values, this would mean that as identification
increases, the effect of personal values in general should diminish. However, if personal
values can be pursued by promoting group goals, identification may enhance value driven
behaviour. Pursuing change for improvement in the situation and in performance is intended
to advance the group, and therefore change-oriented behaviour can be considered to be in line
with the group’s goals. Several empirical studies have found positive association between
identification and constructive change-oriented behaviour (e.g., Fuller, Hester, Barnett, Frey,
Relyea, & Beu, 2006; Hirst, Van Dick, & Van Knippenberg, 2009). Hence, identification
9
may not necessarily weaken the meaning of personal values but instead direct the expression
of values, such that individual values would be pursued in a way that benefits the group.
Employees who identify with their work group should be motivated to express their own
contrast, employees for whom the work group is a less important part of self may pursue their
openness to change values in another way (e.g., outside work), leading to a weak association
between these values and change-oriented OCB. Indeed, Lipponen, Bardi and Haapamäki
(2008) have found that openness to change values predict suggestion-making at work only for
employees who are highly identified with the organization. We therefore expect a similar
H2: The positive relationship between openness to change values and change-oriented
OCB will be moderated by work unit identification, such that the relationship will be
The literature suggests that identification affects behavior only when the behaviour is
perceived as feasible and the individual or the group is perceived to be able to reach the
intended ends (Van Knippenberg & Ellemers, 2003). In addition to this self-efficacy belief
relational beliefs. Employees who feel that their position in the group is peripheral or who
believe they do not have power in their group may hesitate to present their ideas and
implement changes. This is because group membership is an integral part of highly identified
employees’ self-concept and their self-esteem is dependent on respect from other group
members (Turner et al., 1987). Thus, the expression of one’s own ideas and the
10
implementation of changes may pose a threat for that person’s social identity if they feel their
ideas are often ignored and their wishes do not carry much weight in their group.
relationship is referred to as having a sense of power (e.g., Galinsky, Gruenfeld, & Magee,
experiences (Galinsky et al., 2003). Sense of power has the same psychological effects as
objective power (Anderson & Galinsky, 2006). High levels of power are manifested in the
possession of resources, freedom and an awareness of the ability to behave according to one’s
own will without harmful social consequences; whereas low levels of power are manifested
in few resources, more constraints, uncertainty and the threat of punishment (e.g., Keltner,
(Keltner et al., 2003), a high level of power activates the behavioural approach system. This
system is associated with disinhibition of behaviour and a strong drive to attain goals.
Conversely, low levels of power activate the behavioural inhibition system, which is
associated with sensitivity to threats and punishment and also with behavioural inactivity.
These suggested associations have received support in both experimental (e.g., Anderson &
Berdahl, 2002; Berdahl & Martorana, 2006; Langner & Keltner, 2008) and natural contexts
The approach/inhibition theory of power suggests that employees with a high sense of
power are behaviourally active because they feel that they have resources (e.g., information,
trust, or respect), which in turn make them able and motivated to pursue additional resources
(Keltner et al., 2003). Previous studies have demonstrated that powerful people are more
likely than those who are less powerful to behave in line with their personal values (Chen,
Lee-Chai, & Bargh, 2001), and that a behavioural approach tendency enhances the likelihood
of non-normative behaviours (e.g., Diefendorff & Mehta, 2007). Powerful people are also
11
found to be optimistic in their risk perceptions and consequently more willing to divulge
information (Anderson & Galinsky, 2006). We suggest that a high sense of power should
make identified employees more prone to perceiving the possible benefits related to
enhancing the success of their group, instead of perceiving the possible social risks related to
implementation do not pose a threat to their group-based identity because their ideas in that
We further suggest that employees with a high sense of power but low identification
would pursue their personal values in a self-serving way, since success of a personally
unimportant group offers fewer resources for enhancing their self-esteem. Openness to
change, a high sense of power and low identification push them away from the group,
towards new experiences and towards opportunities outside the group. Therefore, when a
high sense of power is present, the positive relationship between openness to change values
and change-oriented OCB should be stronger when employees’ identification with the work
In contrast, employees with a low sense of power are likely to feel socially and
materially threatened because of the lack of resources and dependence they experience, and
consequently they are prone to stay behaviourally passive (Keltner et al., 2003) or active only
in terms of avoidance behaviours (e.g., escape) (Smith & Bargh, 2008). We suggest that
when there is a low sense of power, the relationship between openness to change values and
change-oriented OCB should be just about the same irrespective of the employee’s level of
work unit identification. We expect that both high and low identified employees with a low
sense of power stay passive in terms of change-oriented OCB but perhaps for different
reasons. Employees with a low sense of power and high identification may hesitate to behave
according to their own values because they anticipate negative reactions from the group,
12
which is an important part of their self-concept. Instead of innovativeness and in order to
pursue acceptance by the group and to maintain positive self-esteem, the better strategy for
these employees could be compliance with current methods, policies and procedures.
Employees with both low identification and a low sense of power are the most marginal
members of the group, and they may remain passive because they neither care nor dare to
make efforts on behalf of the group. Thus, when there is a low sense of power, identification
H3: The positive relationship between openness to change values and change-oriented
OCB will be moderated by both work unit identification and a sense of power, such that
the interaction between openness to change values and identification will be stronger
Method
A total of 285 employees and their immediate supervisors in 40 units from two Finnish
organizations were asked to participate in a survey. One of the organizations was a restaurant
chain and the other was a social-service provider. The units consisted of the supervisor and
his or her immediate subordinates. The units were rather small, varying from 2 to 24 (median
8) members, and the supervisors had daily contact with their subordinates. Surveys were
delivered to participants by human resources managers. The respondents were provided with
After one reminder had been sent, 189 (66%) of the employees had returned the
surveys. Forms with missing data and missing supervisor-ratings were excluded, and the final
sample consisted of 184 responses (the final response rate was 64% for subordinates and 93%
for supervisors). Non-respondents did not differ from respondents with respect to gender, age
13
or tenure. Almost half of the subordinates (82 in 22 units) represented the restaurant
organization, while the other half (102 in 15 units) was from the social-service organization.
The number of respondents per unit varied from 1 to 16 (M = 7.8, SD = 4.3). On average, the
employees were 38.1 years old (SD = 10.8), had worked for 3.4 years (SD = 4.6) under their
present supervisor and 76% of them were female. The average age of the supervisors was
41.5 years (SD = 10.2), they had worked in the organization 12.9 years on average (SD = 8.7)
Measures
Employees rated their personal values, level of identification with their unit, and sense
of power in the unit. Supervisors rated each of their subordinates separately on change-
oriented OCB. English-language measures were translated into Finnish using a method of
Values. Employees assessed their personal values using Koivula and Verkasalo’s
(2006) shortened version of the Finnish translation of Schwartz, Lehman, and Roccas’ (1999)
Portrait Value Questionnaire. Employees were asked to rate how similar each of the items
describing different people was to themselves (the scale varied from 1= not at all like me to
6= very much like me). Openness to change values were measured with four items (α = .70,
e.g.”Thinking up new ideas and being creative is important to her/him. She/he likes to do
things in her/his own original way”; “She/he likes surprises and is always looking for new
things to do. She/he thinks it is important to do lots of different things in life”). Following
Schwartz’s (1992) guidelines, scale use bias was controlled by centring item ratings around
the personal mean of value ratings (see Bardi & Schwartz, 2003 for details). Furthermore, the
bipolar value dimension was computed by subtracting the conservation values (measured
with six items, α=.65) from openness to change values. Theoretically, these values form a
bipolar dimension in which the motivations underlying one pole of the dimension should
14
mirror the motivations underlying the other pole. In other words, the theory suggests that the
more a person values one pole, the less she or he will value the opposite pole. The poles
correlated negatively (r=-.62, p< .001) with each other suggesting that the computation was
also empirically justified. This bipolar value dimension is used in all further analyses.
Identification. Work unit identification was measured with the Finnish version
(Lipponen, Helkama, Olkkonen, & Juslin, 2005) of Mael and Ashforth’s (1992)
Organizational Identification Questionnaire. The scale consists of six items which tap on a
person’s perceived sense of oneness with, or belongingness to, the work unit (e.g., “When I
talk about this unit, I usually say ‘we’ rather than ‘they’”; “When someone criticizes this unit,
it feels like a personal insult”). Statements were rated on a five-point scale (1= disagree
Sense of Power. Sense of power was measured using Anderson and Galinsky’s (2006)
scale, which consists of eight items representing beliefs about the power employees have in
their relationship with other work unit members (e.g., “My ideas and opinions are often
ignored” (reversed); “I can get people to listen to what I say”). Employees rated the items on
a 7-point scale (1= disagree strongly, 7= agree strongly). The scale had acceptable internal
consistency (α=.73).
frequency of their subordinates’ change-oriented OCB with three items taken from Choi
(2007). The items were rated on a 7-point scale (1= never, 2= sometimes, 3= once in a month,
follows: “How often during the past year has (name of the subordinate) suggested work
improvement ideas regarding your work unit to you”: “....suggested changes to unproductive
working methods in your work unit to co-workers”: and “....changed the way she/he works to
improve her/his efficiency”. The scale had high internal consistency (α=.92).
15
Covariates. We controlled for the organization, the size of the work unit and tenure in
the present work unit by including these variables as covariates in the analysis. The size of
the unit has previously shown a negative relationship with identification (Lipponen et al.,
2005). Tenure in the present work unit was included in the analyses because it has been found
Results
The means, standard deviations, inter-correlations and alphas of the measures are
presented in Table 1. Of the three main independent variables of interest, only sense of power
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
Because subordinates were nested in the units and supervisors rated multiple
subordinates, there was a reason to assume some degree of non-independence in the data
(Kenny & Judd, 1986). Therefore, we first examined the data for higher level (i.e. unit)
effects by calculating intra-class correlations (ICC). Because unit sizes varied in the data, the
calculation was conducted by using a formula that took into account group size (see Bliese &
Halverson, 1998 for the formula). The results indicated that the amount of total variance
explained by group membership was: openness to change value 1.8%; work unit
identification 4.2%; sense of power 2.1%, and change-oriented OCB 47.0%. The independent
variables had low systematic variation among groups. In contrast, the dependent variable had
great variation among groups. Bliese and Hanges (2004) have demonstrated that ignorance of
non-independence may result in too many Type II errors, especially under conditions of large
16
ICC values for dependent variables and small group sizes. Thus, we analysed the data using
All predictors were standardized prior to hypothesis testing. To specify the model, we
followed a data-driven approach to select the variables for the random part. We first
calculated a null model, including only random intercepts (i.e. unit) and no explanatory
variables. Then we gradually built our models by adding blocks of the predictors. Each
variable in the block was first estimated as a fixed coefficient. After that, each variable was
also estimated as a random coefficient. The random error terms were retained in the model if
the chi-square-difference test showed that the model was significantly improved when the
Hypothesis 1 was that the openness to change value dimension would be positively
size of the work unit and tenure) were entered as fixed coefficients into Model 1. The
openness to change value dimension was entered into Model 2 as a fixed coefficient. As
depicted in Table 2, the analysis showed that the control variables accounted for 10.3% of the
individual level variance of change-oriented OCB. Openness to change values did not explain
any additional variance and as a consequence, Hypothesis 1 was not supported. However, this
may be because the relationship between these values and the studied behaviour is true only
Hypothesis 2 was that the relationship between the openness to change value dimension
and change-oriented OCB would be stronger when work unit identification is high. To test
Hypothesis 2, the openness to change value dimension and identification were entered as
fixed coefficients into Model 3, and the interaction term of these two variables was entered as
a fixed coefficient into Model 4. As presented in Table 2, the estimate of the two-way
interaction term was statistically non-significant, thus Hypothesis 2 was not supported. Yet,
17
this may be because the proposed effect is only true in some of the participants, as examined
next.
Hypothesis 3 was that the interaction between the openness to change value dimension
and work unit identification will be stronger for participants with a high sense of power. To
test the third hypothesis, the openness to change value dimension, identification and sense of
power were entered as fixed coefficients into Model 5. All the two-way interaction terms
were entered as fixed coefficients into Model 6. Finally, the three-way interaction term was
interaction term was positive and statistically significant explaining 3.3% additional variance
-----------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
This significant three-way interaction was probed by testing whether individual slopes
differed from each other in the ways we hypothesized (Dawson & Richter, 2006). The
and sense of power is shown in Figure 2. The slope difference test revealed that the
interaction between the openness to change value dimension and work unit identification in
predicting supervisor-rated change-oriented OCB was significant when sense of power was
high (Slopes 1 and 3, t=2.60, p=.01), but non-significant when sense of power was low
-------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------
18
Discussion
The results of this study show that openness to change values, work unit identification
and sense of power interact in predicting change-oriented OCB. The interaction between
openness to change values and work unit identification was significant for employees with a
high sense of power, but not for employees with a low sense of power. Hence, employees
who highly identify with their work unit express their personal values of openness to change
by expressing ideas for improvements, and implementing these ideas, only when they feel
Findings of this study specify and complement some previous findings. Lipponen et al.
study, this two-way interaction effect appeared only in the high power context. The
difference between these studies is that Lipponen et al. (2008) measured only suggestion-
making, whereas our measure of change-oriented OCB included also idea implementation.
Indeed, Axtell, Holman, and Wall (2006) have reported that suggestion-making and idea
related to job control and idea implementation was related to team support for innovation.
Thus, it may be that highly identified employees make suggestions and see how other group
members react to their ideas. If they feel that their ideas are not supported or are ignored,
highly identified employees may not take the next step to implement these ideas. Instead,
when employees believe that they are able to have an influence in their group, they are less
concerned about other’s opinions and more daring in presenting their ideas and implementing
changes irrespective of team support. On the other hand, it is also possible that team support
for innovation enhances employees’ sense of power. Namely, when the normative climate for
innovations (i.e. team support for innovation) is positive, the group is open to new ideas and
19
new ways of thinking (Scott & Bruce, 1994) and members may feel that their ideas and
Choi (2007) found that a strong vision and an innovative climate predicted change-
oriented OCB both at the individual and group level. The effect of these work environment
empowerment, and the latter bears some similarities to sense of power. Hence, the findings of
the present study complement previously suggested predictors by suggesting that sense of
Our results can also be linked to previous research on the relationships between
values are found to be most closely associated with the personality trait of openness to
experience (Roccas et al., 2002). Roccas et al. (2002) found that openness to experience
correlated most positively with openness to change and universalism values, and most
negatively with conservation values. Thus, we may compare our result with studies on the
openness to experience trait. For example, Sung and Choi (2009) have found a positive
George and Zhou (2001) adopted an interactional approach to study the influence of the
effect of openness to experience on creative behaviour, but they found that positive feedback
supported the influence of personality, especially in heuristic tasks. Our results are in line
with this finding. Namely, George and Zhou (2001) suggested that positive feedback may
contribute to employees’ beliefs that their ideas are recognised and accepted, which
consequently supports having a creative disposition. Thus, our finding confirms their
20
suggestion that belief in one’s ability to have an influence enhances the positive relationship
theory, when social identity is salient (i.e. high level of identification) individuals should be
motivated to behave in accordance with norms and goals related to that social identity (e.g.,
Turner, 1987; Terry & Hogg, 1996). This is because identified members experience the
group’s interests and goals as their own (e.g., De Cremer & Van Vugt, 1999). Moreover,
identification is suggested to promote group-oriented behaviours which are in line with the
content of group norms and goals (e.g., Van Knippenberg & Ellemers, 2003). In contrast,
when personal identity is salient (i.e., low level of identification) individuals are motivated to
follow their personal values and to promote their personal identity. Based on this line of
reasoning, it could be argued that the importance of personal values and goals in directing
behaviour should diminish as identification with the social entity increases. The results of our
study suggest that when group members have a high sense of power, identification may not
weaken the role of personal values in directing behavior. Instead, identification may direct
the expression of personal values toward the efforts on behalf of the group. However, when
sense of power is low, highly identified members do not pursue openness to change values by
Practical implications
The findings of this study imply that in times that call for change in the workplace,
organizations can benefit from people who value openness to change, identify with their work
unit and have a high sense of power. With regard to values, it does not necessarily make
sense to try to influence them because the opposite values of conservation are beneficial to
the organization in quiet times as well as for certain roles (e.g., Gandal, Roccas, Sagiv, &
21
beneficial behaviour may be motivated by other values. Instead, organizations should make
their employees feel motivated and comfortable to express their values in organization-
enhancing ways. Our study suggests that this may happen through the simultaneous
enhancement of social identification and employees’ sense of power, as the results show that
identification matters only when employees feel that they have power.
interaction effects, particularly among continuous variables, are difficult to find due to low
statistical power in moderated models, and also because a type II error is more likely than a
type I error (e.g., Aguinis, Beaty, Boik, & Pierce, 2005; Dawson & Richter, 2006).
Consequently, in future studies, use of larger data sets may more effectively reveal the
relevance of the studied factors. As mentioned above, the role of values and other
our study showed, ratings of change-oriented OCB were more strongly related to
organization, work unit size and tenure than to values. This may imply the importance of
behaviour (see e.g., Janssen, 2005; Ohly & Fritz, 2007), whereas the role of values is more
essential in circumstances that are unclear and ambiguous (see e.g., De Kwaadsteniet, Van
Dijk, Wit, & De Cremer, 2006). However, although the influences of the aforementioned
factors were taken into account, there was still sufficient variance explained by values.
Moreover, the moderating role of work unit identification might have been stronger if the
change-oriented behaviours considered were only those that focused explicitly on the work
unit and its goals. With respect to the third item in the OCB scale, it is possible that
supervisor-rated behaviour might have included behaviour which was not focused on the
work unit since the focus was not specified in that item.
22
We conducted several procedures to prevent common method variance (see e.g.,
Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Lee, & Podsakoff, 2003). Most importantly, the predictor and
criterion variables were obtained from different sources. With respect to employee-rated
constructs, we used well established measures with varying scale formats in order to ensure
item clarity and to prevent the scale’s format from systematically influencing the responses.
Furthermore, special attention was paid to anonymity, as responses were returned directly to
Although obtaining the independent and dependent variables from different sources
increased the validity of this research, the validity of supervisor-ratings may be limited. It is
possible that retrospective memories are not precise and that not all acts were recognized.
since the supervisor may not always be aware of ideas presented to peers. Moreover,
supervisors may have rated more positively those whom they like or know well. In future
studies, it may be beneficial to collect ratings from several sources in order to prevent these
In this study, we focused on openness to change vs. conservation values because the
other values are not related to change-oriented motivation. However, it is possible that
McAllister et al., 2007). Future studies could explore whether employees who value self-
enhancement (power and achievement values) engage in change-oriented OCB in order to,
for example, receive more salary or get a promotion. By definition, OCB’s are not directly
rewarded. Still, they have been found to positively predict performance evaluations (e.g.,
Finally, there is reason to believe that the moderating roles of sense of power and
identification may be dependent on whether group members’ personal values and group
23
norms - relating to specific target behaviour - are compatible or conflicting. If group norms
are supportive of innovation and these norms are in line with the individual’s personal values,
personal values and group norms are conflicting, for example if the group member holds
openness to change values but group norms are against innovation, identification may lead to
conformity without a high sense of power. We did not measure group norms relating to
change oriented OCB, but this could be taken into consideration in future studies.
benefit from the interactional approach that takes into account the psychological factors
arising from the social-context. Our study showed that the influence of values on behaviour
may be dependent on both the psychological importance of the group and the individual’s
position in the group. This deservers more research in the future. In practical terms, this study
simultaneously showing that the organization is worth identifying with and that employees’
24
References
Aguinis, H., Beaty, J. C., Boik, R. J., & Pierce, C. A. (2005). Effect size and power in
Anderson, C., & Berdahl, J. L. (2002). The experience of power: Examining the effects of
Anderson, C., & Galinsky, A. D. (2006). Power, optimism, and risk-taking. European
Axtell, C., Holman, D., & Wall, T. (2006). Promoting innovation: A change study. Journal of
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Worth Publishers.
Bardi, A., Calogero, R. M., & Mullen, B. (2008). A new archival approach to the study of
values and value-behavior relations: Validation of the value lexicon. Journal of Applied
Bardi, A., & Schwartz, S. H. (2003). Values and behavior: Strength and structure of relations.
Berdahl, J. L., & Martorana, P. (2006). Effects of power on emotion and expression during a
Bliese, P. D., & Halverson, R. R. (1998). Group size and measures of group-level properties:
25
Bliese, P. D., & Hanges, P. J. (2004). Being both too liberal and too conservative: The perils
Methods, 7, 400-417.
Chen, S., Lee-Chai, A. Y., & Bargh, J. A. (2001). Relationship orientation as a moderator of
the effects of social power. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 173-187.
De Cremer, D., & Van Vugt, M. (1999). Social identification effects in social dilemmas: A
behavior: Implications for job performance, prosocial behavior, and personal initiative.
De Kwaadsteniet, E. W., Van Dijk, E., Wit, A., & De Cremer, D. (2006). Social dilemmas as
strong versus weak situations: Social value orientations and tacit coordination under
Diefendorff, J. M., & Mehta, K. (2007). The relations of motivational traits with workplace
26
Fuller, J. B., Barnett, T., Hester, K., Relyea, C., & Frey, L. (2007). An explorative
Fuller, J. B., Hester, K., Barnett, T., Frey, L., Relyea, C., & Beu, D. (2006). Perceived
external prestige and internal respect: New insights into the organizational
Fuller, J. B., & Marler, L. E. (2009). Change driven by nature: A meta-analytic review of the
Fuller, J. B., Marler, L. E., & Hester, K. (2006). Promoting felt responsibility for constructive
Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of
Gandal, N., Roccas, S., Sagiv, L., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2005). Personal value priorities of
Galinsky, A. D., Gruenfeld, D. H., & Magee, J. C. (2003). From power to action. Journal of
George, J. M., & Zhou, J. (2001). When openness to experience and conscientiousness are
Grant, A. M., & Ashford, S. J. (2008). The dynamics of proactivity at work. Research in
Sage.
27
Haslam, S. A., Van Knippenberg, D., Platow, M. J., & Ellemers, N. (2003). Social identity at
work: Developing theory for organizational practice. New York: Psychology Press.
Hirst, G., Van Dick, R., & Van Knippenberg, D. (2009). A social identity perspective on
Hogg, M. A., & Terry, D. J. (2000). Social identity and self-categorization processes in
Hui, C., Lam, S. S., & Law, K. K. (2000). Instrumental values of organizational citizenship
822-828.
Janssen, O. (2005). The joint impact of perceived influence and supervisor supportiveness on
Keltner, D., Gruenfeld, D. H., & Anderson, C. (2003). Power, approach, and inhibition.
Koivula, N., & Verkasalo, M. (2006). Value structure among students and steelworkers.
Lammers, J., Stoker, J. I., & Stapel, D. A. (2010). Power and behavioral approach orientation
in existing power relations and the mediating effect of income. European Journal of
28
Langner, C. A., & Keltner, D. (2008). Social power and emotional experience: Actor and
44, 848-856.
Lawler, E. E. (1992). The ultimate advantage: Creating the high involvement organization.
LePine, J. A., & Van Dyne, L. (1998). Predicting voice behavior in work groups. Journal of
LePine, J. A., & Van Dyne, L. (2001). Voice and cooperative behavior as contrasting forms
326-336.
Lipponen, J., Bardi, A., & Haapamäki, J. (2008). The interaction between values and
Lipponen, J., Helkama, K., Olkkonen, M., & Juslin, M. (2005). Predicting the different
Mael, E. A., & Ashforth, B. E. (1992). Alumni and their alma matter: A partial test of the
McAllister, D. J., Kamdar, D., Morrison, E. W., & Turban, D. B. (2007). Disentangling role
perceptions: How perceived role breadth discretion, instrumentality, and efficacy relate
29
Moon, H., Kamdar, D., Mayer, D. M., & Takeuchi, R. (2008). Me or we? The role of
Moon, H., Van Dyne, L., & Wrobel, K. (2005). The circumplex model and the future of
organizational citizenship behavior (pp. 3-24). New York: Nova Science Publishers
Inc.
Morrison, E. W., & Phelps, C. C. (1999). Taking charge at work: Extra-role efforts to initiate
Nikolaou, I., Vakola, M., & Bourantas, D. (2008). Who speaks up at work? Dispositional
Ohly, S., & Fritz, C. (2007). Challenging that status quo: What motivates proactive
Oishi, S., Diener, E., Suh, E., & Lucas, R. E. (1999). The value as a moderator model in
Oldham, G. R., & Cummings, A. (1996). Employee creativity: Personal and contextual
Parker, S. K., Williams, H. M., & Turner, N. (2006). Modeling the antecedents of proactive
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method
30
Riketta, M., & Van Dick, R. (2005). Foci of attachment in organizations: A meta-analytic
Roccas, S. Sagiv, L., Schwartz, S., & Knafo, A. (2002). The big five personality factors and
Rokeach, M. (1973). The nature of human values. New York: Free Press.
experimental social psychology (Vol. 25, pp. 1-65). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Schwartz, S. H., Lehman, A., & Roccas, S. (1999). Multimethod probes of basic human
Scott, S.G., & Bruce, R.A. (1994). Determinants of innovative behavior: A path model of
Smith, P. K., & Bargh, J. A. (2008). Nonconscious effects of power on basic approach and
Snijders, T., & Bosker, R. (1999). Multilevel analysis. An introduction to basic and advanced
Snyder, M., & Ickes, W. (1985). Personality and social behavior. In G. Lindzey & E.A.
Aronson (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology: Vol. 2. Special fields and applications.
31
Spreitzer, G. M. (1995). Psychological empowerment in the workplace: Dimensions,
Sung, S. Y., & Choi, N. (2009). Do big five personality factors affect individual creativity?
The moderating role of extrinsic motivation. Social Behavior and Personality, 37, 941-
956.
Austin, & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33-47).
Terry, D. J., & Hogg, M. A. (1996). Group norms and the attitude-behavior relations: A role
for group identification. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 776-793.
Turner, J. C., Hogg, M. A., Oakes, P. J., Reicher, S. D., & Wetherell, M. S. (1987).
Blackwell.
Van Dyne, L., & LePine, J. A. (1998). Helping and voice extra-role behaviors: Evidence of
Van Dyne, L., Kamdar, D., & Joireman, J. (2008). In-role perceptions buffer negative impact
of low LMX on helping and enhance the positive impact of high LMX on voice.
Van Knippenberg, D, & Ellemers, N. (2003). Social identity and group performance:
32
M. Platow, & N. Ellemers (Eds.), Social identity at work. Developing theory for
West, M. A., & Farr, J. L. (1990). Innovation at work. In M. A. West & J. L. Farr (Eds.),
Zhou, J., Shin, S. J., Brass, D. J., Choi, J., & Zhang, Z.-X. (2009). Social networks, personal
values, and creativity: Evidence for curvilinear and interaction effects. Journal of
33
Figure 1. Schwartz’s model of motivational type of values (adapted from Schwartz, 1992).
Self-transcendence
Universalism Benevolence
Self-direction Tradition
Hedonism Power
Achievement
Self-enhancement
34
Table 1
Variables M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
5. Work unit identification 3.79 0.56 -.04 -.08 -.11 .01 (.70)
6. Sense of power 4.08 0.76 .17* .11 .05 -.16* .28** (.73)
7. Organization 1.55 0.50 -.38** .14 .07 -.20** .08 .01 (-)
8. Size of the work unit 12.00 6.08 .31** -.02 -.02 .02 -.09 -.10 -.34** (-)
9. Tenure in the work unit 55.91 68.77 -.22** -.06 -.03 .09 .08 .04 .33** .03 (-)
Note. n = 184, Cronbach’s alphas shown in parentheses, *p 0.05; **p 0.01; ***p < 0.001. The restaurant organization was coded as one and
the social service provider as two. Tenure in the present work unit is in months.¹ This bipolar value dimension was computed by subtracting the conservation
values from openness to change values, and analyses were conducted using this bipolar value dimension.
35
Table 2
Variables Null model Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4 Model 5 Model 6 Model 7
Intercept 3.27*** (0.18) 3.33*** (0.17) 3.34*** (0.17) 3.36*** (0.17) 3.36*** (0.17) 3.35*** (0.17) 3.31*** (0.17) 3.29*** (0.17)
Organization -0.24 (0.17) -0.26 (0.17) -0.27 (0.17) -0.27 (0.17) -0.24 (0.17) -0.21 (0.17) -0.19 (0.17)
Size of the work unit 0.41* (0.18) 0.40* (0.18) 0.42* (0.18) 0.43* (0.18) 0.43* (0.18) 0.44* (0.18) 0.46* (0.18)
Tenure -0.27** (0.09) -0.26** (0.09) -0.27** (0.08) -0.26** (0.08) -0.27** (0.09) -0.27** (0.09) -0.27** (0.08)
Change values 0.08 (0.08) 0.08 (0.08) 0.08 (0.08) 0.06 (0.09) 0.04 (0.09) -0.03 (0.09)
Work unit identification 0.09 (0.08) 0.07 (0.08) 0.04 (0.08) 0.05 (0.08) 0.01 (0.08)
Change values X Work unit identification 0.12 (0.07) 0.10 (0.08) 0.17* (0.08)
Individual-level variance 1.0262 0.9209 0.9174 0.8784 0.8639 0.8659 0.8386 0.8052
36
Proportion of explained variance 10.3% 0% 4.1% 1.4% 5.4% 2.7% 3.3%
Group-level variance 0.7825 0.5442 0.5490 0.5693 0.5651 0.5524 0.5451 0.5618
-2 log likelihood (df) 543.957 (3) 492.114 (6) 483.039 (7) 474.995 (8) 472.511 (9) 469.565 (9) 464.884 (12) 459.987 (13)
Note. Standard errors shown in parentheses, * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001
37
Figure 2. The interaction of openness to change value dimension, work unit identification and sense of power on change-oriented OCB
38